England secured a huge 189-run win against South Africa in the second Test at Newlands on Tuesday. While South Africa was fighting hard to draw the match, England bowled them out with less than 10 overs left in the last day's play of the Test match. At one time the hosts looked stronger to snatch away victory from England. They already had a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.
But it was Ben Stokes who once again come out as a hero in a dire situation for the touring side. Three wickets were to be picked and only 15 overs of play were left. South Africa's tail was not doing any nonsense to give England a chance.
Stokes produced a fiery spell and used the old ball in his team's favor. He dismissed all the remaining batsmen to pull off a 189 runs win. Earlier, Stokes had smashed 72 runs off 47 balls to provide England a big lead in the last innings.
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England captain Joe Root lauded Stokes for his all-round show. He called him a 'golden nugget'. "He's a golden nugget, isn't he?" Root told reporters. "He is just a fantastic specimen. You put him in a lot of different situations and he just stands up to it.
"He's a born match-winner who will always put the team first and give everything for the group of players he is playing alongside. He's a fantastic example of a young squad of players, which we have got here."
Stokes was lethal in the last hour of the play and consistently clocked 140+ KMPH. "When you can throw him the ball and he bowls an eight-over spell like that to win you the game, after playing like he did yesterday with the bat, there are not many sides who have a Ben Stokes in them," Root said.
"We are very lucky to be witnessing what we are at the moment."
Root sees a match-winner in Stokes. He says the English all-rounder contributes in every way possible, whether it's the bat, ball, or fielding. Ben took six catches in the second Test fielding at slip.
"He puts himself in those situations, he puts his hand up and wants to be the one to win you the game," the skipper said.
"That is a great example to everyone, whether you are at the start of your career or have played a lot. He is that character that you want to turn to when nothing is happening and he will try to drag the game back in your favor."
"We have seen it time and time again now, but for him to keep doing it the way he has done over the last year and for it not to be a flash-in-the-pan type of thing is testament to how hard he works in training."
(With REUTERS Inputs)
